Pianqgra



' McDOWELL GRAVES.

COIN CONTROLLED MECHANISM FOR VENDING MACHINES. APPLICATION FILED SEPT.2. I916. RENEWED DEC. 12.1918.

1,810,989. Patented July 22, 1919.

THE COLUMBIA PLANOGRAPH c0... WASHINGTON. D. c.

MoDOWELL GRAVES, or Los ANGELES, oALIroRNLA,

ASSIGNOR, BY MESNE ASSIGN- MENTS, TO B. A. DALLUGGE, OF LOS ANGELES, CALIFORNIA.

COIN- CONTROLLED MEGHANIS M FOR VENDING-MACHINES.

Application filed September 2, 1916, Serial No.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, MCDOWELL GRAVES, a citizen of the United States, residing at Los Angeles, in the county of Los Angeles, State of California, have invented new and useful Improvements in Coin-Controlled Mechafollowing'is a specification.

This invention relates to coin controlled mechanisms adapted to actuate or control the actuation of coin controlled vending'machines; and it is an object of this invention to provide a simple and efficient form of coin controlled mechanism adapted for gen eral use in connection with vending Inachines. Although I explain my coin controlled mechanism in connection with a particular type of vending machine, it will be understood that the mechanism is capable of being used in combination with other types of delivery'apparatus. The delivery apparatus herein described is the particular subject matter of a co-pending application S. N. 118,168 filed Sept. 2, 1916; and of the claims therein. In this invention I desire to particularly claim the coin controlled mechanism itself.

In my present form of coin controlled mechanism there are two moving parts adapted to be movingly connected by an inserted coin. The coin forms a connective member during the first part of the concerted movements of the parts; but once the concerted movements have begun, other connective means come into play and the coin may then be dropped while the parts are still interconnected" independently of the coin. The coin is dropped by the simple expedient of having the two moving parts move sufficiently away from each'other so that the space between them becomes greater than the size of the coin. These features, together with the details of apparatus, are explained in the following specification. In this specification I first explain a .typical form of delivery mechanism adapted to be operated by the coin controlled mechanism and then explain the coin controlled mechanism in detail.

I describe a preferred form of machine in the following specification and illustrate the same in the accompanying drawings in which: Figure 1 is a central vertical cross section of a preferred form of my machine; Fig.2 is a' vertical section of the lower part of the machine taken as indicated by line '14. The back forming an edge at 15. Beneath this edge ;and pro ecting hopper is swung forwardly,

moved farther forwardly. Any.

118,169. Renewed December 12, 1918. Serial No. 266,510.

of the lower parts of the apparatus showing the position of the parts when half through :the delivery operation. nism for Vending-Machines, of which the In the drawing I show a suitable case 10 package supportingfeet 13 at its bottom at its forward edge. The front of the hopper is substantially open, as shown in the various vlews, the front being formed of two narrow side strips 14:. The package supporting feet 13 are located at the opposite sldes of the front behind these front strips of the hopper is cut away I into the hopper through the cut away portlon I place a stationary ackage supportlng shelf 16. The vertica distance between edge'15 and shelf 16 is less than the vertical thickness of a package to be vended. The side walls ofthe hopper extend on downwardly asshown at ll below the feet 13 and edge 15; and a package supporting shelf 17 is carried at the lower end of the side walls, saidshelfbeing normally below the stationary shelf 16. A pair of stop members 20 is mounted forward of the hopper and in such position that, when the the stop memberswill pro ect into its front side at its lower end. Each of-these members 20 has a lower package supporting foot 2lwhich projects farther into the hopper.

With the foregoing described construction in mind, the operation of the device may be readily understood. In the first movement the hopper is swung forwardly to the position shown in Fig. 4C. The first effect of this movement is to cause the edge 15 of the hopper to engage the rear upper edge of the lowermost package, as shown in dotted lines at 30, and to move the lowermost edge of the package ofl" the stationary shelf 16 and allow it to drop onto the hopper shelf 17, which has moved forwardly with the hopper, the forward edge of the package still resting upon the package supporting-feet 13. When the package is in this position the hopper cannot be moved rearwardly unless it is first attempted rearward movement will not change the position of the package and will not prevent the package being ultimately delivered by Specification f Letters Patent. Patented July 22, 1919.

7 its forward edge leaves the feet 13 and falls onto the stationary feet 21. Or, in other words, the package is held from further forward movement by stop members 20 while thefeet 13 move out from under it. This position is shown in dotted lines in Fig. 4. When this position of the package is reached, the rearward motion of the hopper is begun. When the hopper moves rearwardly the package is prevented from rearward movement by its rear edge moving back against the stationary shelf 16. Consequently the movable shelf 17 merely moves rearwardly.

from under the rear edge of the package, WllOSQ forward edge is still restingupon the feet 21; and, when the shelf 17 has moved completely from under the rear edge of the package, the rear edge drops and the package starts, rear edge first, down over the clelivery chute 31.

I show in the drawings a simple coin controlled mechanism for causing the desired movement of the delivery mechanism. coinchute or slot is mounted upon a shelf 41' attached to the lower front edge of the hopper 11, said shelf being below the package supporting feet 21. The shelf 41 has a coin passage opening 42 through its forward edge directly beneath the chute 40. A coin fed into the chute 40 will drop down through the opening 42 (it is immaterial for the present how the coin is fed into chute 40). The

' coin passing; through the opening 42 falls ,the ho per through into an inclined trough 48, which is mounted upon a frame 44 pivotally mounted at 45. This frame 44 normally stands in a position shown in Fig. 1 with the coin trough 43 directly below the opening 42. When the coin is inserted it immediately falls to the position shown at C in Figs. 1 and 2.

The frame 44 has a handle 46 projecting outside thecase and downward movement of the handle will cause forward movement of the upper end of the frame. Forward movement of theupper end of the frame, will, through the connection of the coin at C, cause forward movement of the shelf 41 and of the hopper to which it is attached. Once this forward movement is started, a hook 47, which extends out from the back of frame 44, will engage around the lower Edge 0f p 0 flange 48 on shelf 41, and subsequent forward movementof the frame 44 will cause forward movement of the. medium of the hook 4 and lip 48. But if the frame 44 be moved forwardly without inserting a coin, the hook 47 in its forward movement will not" engage the lip 48 but will pass underneath it. In other words, the. coin forms a connection between the frame 44 and the hopper during the first part of the movement until the hook 47 engages 11p 48;

but as soon as this engagement has taken place, then the hopper may be moved forward through the medium of the hook 47. Now, as the shelf 41 and the coin trough .43 move forwardly, the coin passage 42 be the upper edge of the coin moves down, or

drops down, out of the passaage 42 and moves out of operative relation to the parts. The coin either snaps. out of opening-42,

or it may merely move down from the opening and then roll down the inclined trough 43. It will be noted that the coin is not released until the parts reach such a position that the hook 47 has first engaged lip 48, and then the package has fallen to the first moved position; i. a, its position with its forwardedge still on feet 13 and its rear edgedropped onto shelf 17 in which position the package prevents the rearward movement of the hopper. Consequently, it is impossible to loose the package after the coin is dropped, as it is then only possible to complete the forward stroke of t e hopp r, and e ma h ne i se he completes the rearward stroke which delivers the package. A spring at 50 draws the framef44 hack to its normal position, and, through the medium of the engagement of the. shoulder 47 with the lip 48, throws the hopper back toits normal position. It is during this last mentioned movement that the package 30 is finally delivered. The coin must necessarily be discharged, from its position where it acts as a connective member, at the forward end of themovement; while it is necessary to complete the rearward movement before, the package isdelivered.

While it will be seen that the particular arrangem of h pac ge supper g an delivering parts 15, 16, 17, 13,21, etc. is not of the essence of this invention, yet it will. be seen that the parts 41and 42 are parts performing fnnction in the coin controlled mechanism; and, specifically speaking, the hopper 11 i self pe forms a ction herein because the relative pivotal mountings of the hopper 11 and frame 44 at the points 12 and 45 respectively, ,cause the desired relativemovements of the frame 44 and the parts 41 and 42 and thus cause t de i ed r lati movem nts between parts 47 an 8 nd he pa ts 43 an 42. It will be noted that if a line is drawn between pivots 12 and 45, then the parts 47 and 48 lie on one side of that line and the parts Y42 and 43 on the other side of that 42 and 43 with reference to said line is not an essential; but, in the preferred form herein explained, it is a specific essential feature that, when the parts 42 and 43 approach the positions shown in Fig. 4, they shall be moving away from said line connecting pivots 12 and 45, so that the distance between those parts shall be increasing. And correspondingly, it is a specific essential feature that the parts 47 and 48 shall be at one side of said line so that, as they move toward said line, they shall approach each' other. These specific arrangements are essential where the parts are pivotally mounted in the manner shown anddescribed; but, in a general way, it may be stated that the movements of the parts 42 and 43 are divergent while the movements of the parts 47 and 48 are convergent.

Having described a preferred form of my invention, I claim:

1. Coin controlled mechanism embodying two movable members constrained to move in individual paths which converge toward each other and then diverge from each other, each of said members having a coin receiving part and said members having interengaging parts, said coin receiving parts positioned on said members where when the members are moved said parts diverge from each other and said interengagin parts being positioned on said members w ere when the members are moved said parts move toward and engage each other.

2. A coin controlled mechanism comprising two members mounted upon individual pivots and extending toward each other from said pivots, inter-engaging means on said members lying on one side of the line joining their two pivots so that movement of said inter-engaging means toward said line will cause their movement toward each other; and coin-holding parts on each of said members on the opposite side of said line so that movement of said parts away from said line will cause divergence of the coin-holding parts.

3. A coin controlled mechanism, embodying two individually pivoted members extending toward each other from their pivots, coin-holding parts on said members embodying a coin-opening in one of said members and a coin-holding-and-supporting trough in the other of said members, and inter-engaging means on said members arranged on one side of the line between the two pivotal points so that the movement of the said means toward said line causes movement of the means toward each other and causes them to inter-engage.

4. A coin controlled mechanism, embodying two individually pivoted members extending toward each other from their piv' Copies of this patent may be obtained for five cents each, by addressing the ots, coin-holding parts on said member embodying a coin-opening in one of said members and a coin-holding-and-supporting trough in the other of said members, and inter-engaging means on said members arranged on one side of the line between the two pivotal points so that movement of the said means toward said line causes movement-of the means toward each other and causes them to inter-engage, the coin-engaging parts on said member being arranged 011 the other side of said line in such position that the same movement which carries the inter-engaging means toward each other carries the coin-holding parts away from said line and diverges them to cause the coin to be disengaged.

5. In combination with a hopper pivoted at its upper end and having a horizontal shelf at its lower end provided with a coin passage therethrough; a manually operatable frame pivoted at its lower side below the hopper and extending up toward the hopper, a coin-holding and supporting trough on the frame directly beneath the coin passage in said shelf, said coin passage and said trough being at one side of a line drawn through the pivots of the hopper and frame, and inter-engaging means on said shelf and frame situated on the other side of said line, so that the same movement which carries the coin-engaging parts away from said line will carry said inter-engaging parts toward said line.

6. In combination with a hopper pivoted at its upper end and having a horizontal shelf at its lower end provided with a coin passage therethrough; a manually operatable frame pivoted at its lower side below the hopper and extending up toward the hopper, a coin holdin and support trough on the frame directly %Jeneath the coin passage in said shelf, said coin passage and said trough being at one side of a line drawn through the pivots of the hopper and frame, and inter-engaging means on said shelf and frame situated on the other side of said line, so that the same movement which carries the coin-engaging parts away from said line will carry said inter-engaging parts toward said line, said inter-engaging means embodying a lip projecting downwardly from said shelf and a hook on said frame normally in position beneath said lip, said hook being adapted to move upwardly onto said lip and surround its lower edge.

In witness that I claim the foregoing I have hereunto subscribed my name this 17th day of August, 1916.

MoDOl/VELL GRAVES.

Witnesses:

JAMES T. BARKELEW, ELwooD H. BARKELEW.

Commissioner of Patents,

Washington, D. 0. 

